Table 2.
Characteristics of the sample (N = 510)
| Depressed persons (n = 378) | Non-depressed controls (n = 132) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 70.7 (7.4) | 70.1 (7.2) | 0.37 |
| - 60-69, n (%) | 189 (50.0) | 74 (56.1) | 0.48 |
| - 70-79, n (%) | 132 (34.9) | 40 (30.3) | |
| - > 80, n (%) | 57 (15.1) | 18 (13.6) | |
| Female, n (%) | 250 (66.1) | 81 (61.4) | 0.34 |
| Level of education | < 0.001 | ||
| - Low, n (%) | 78 (20.6) | 9 (6.8) | |
| - Middle, n (%) | 221 (58.5) | 71 (53.8) | |
| - High, n (%) | 79 (20.9) | 52 (39.4) | |
| Marital status | 0.001 | ||
| - Never been married, n (%) | 30 (7.9) | 10 (7.6) | |
| - Married, n (%) | 174 (46.0) | 86 (65.2) | |
| - Living apart, n (%) | 16 (4.2) | 0 | |
| - Divorced, n (%) | 54 (14.3) | 10 (7.6) | |
| - Widow(er), n (%) | 104 (27.5) | 26 (19.7) | |
| Cognitive function, mean MMSE1 (SD) | 27.69 | 28.34 | 0.001 |
1 MMSE: Mini-Mental State Examination